How has COVID-19 Affected Our Community?

By Addison Loomis

October 27, 2020

Adam Barron, business owner of Project 360, a private gym in Lake Oswego, tells  how he has been affected by the nation’s outbreak in Covid-19 cases. He also gives ways residents can help support other local businesses.

At the beginning of the year, Project 360 was a booming business that was open to many clients, and had about 70 people come through the gym each day. Clients were able to enter the gym anytime it was open, and could simply walk right in and get to their workout. Sadly this did not last long, because 2020 had different plans. 

In March, COVID-19 hit the community, and the gym, as well as many other small businesses went through significant but necessary changes. If the businesses were able to stay open, they went through a major downslide in business.  The COVID-19 outbreak caused many businesses to close down, but the few that were able to stay open had to decrease hours, lay off workers, add extra space for social distancing, increase cleaning measures, and so much more.

Barron has explained his experience as a small business owner by saying, “the biggest thing with the small businesses was that we didn’t really have much of a choice at the beginning. The government just shut us down, but a lot of smart small business owners were able to adjust and resume operations while keeping people safe.”

The gym had to change to scheduled gym time andpeople now answer a survey at the entrance of the gym. Due to these measures, and others,  business dipped for a couple of months. Fortunately, the gym’s safety measures have allowed them  to go from only four to five people in the gym at one time back to 10-12 people in the gym at once, like it had been before the pandemic began. While the return to a more typical gym experience and small business ownership for Adam is a positive step, many businesses are still recovering from the losses they faced during that time.

The best thing that can be done to help small businesses is to supplement shopping at a commercial store and shop at a small business instead. People should promote their favorite small businesses by telling your friends and family, and sharing on social media platforms can always help too! It might not seem like much, but simply telling a friend can boost their business as well as give a friend a new place to eat, shop, or workout.

No one really knows what’s next.  This time and situation is unprecedented, and there won’t be an answer to this question until the virus is able to be successfully contained. Right now, what people can do means a lot more. Help people who have lost their jobs by donating to food and clothing drives. Only shop locally. Wear a face mask when around others to protect everyone. There is so much that can’t be done right now, focus on what can be done in your community.